Cases In Chemical Pathology

This book is the fourth edition of a highly regarded text which was first published in 1988. It introduces the reader to the interpretation of routine laboratory biochemical test results and covers all aspects of interpretative chemical pathology (including reproductive endocrinology, which was not covered previously). The approach is based on case material from the authors' laboratory and employs algorithms and similar aids for interpretation. The material is structured so that it is comprehensible to beginners as well as being useful for the more experienced practitioners. The envisaged audience is medical undergraduates, general practitioners, clinical biochemists and laboratory technicians.

This book deals with the clinical aspects and interpretation of test results of disorders commonly encountered by clinicians and the chemical pathology laboratory. It is structured around actual case material seen in the author's laboratory and emphasizes the selection of tests and interpretation of results. Each of the 25 chapters deals with a single analyte or a single organ system and includes case material, discussion of evaluation of the particular disorder, and interpretation of test results. The content is non-specialised enough to be followed by general practitioners but sufficiently detailed to appeal to the more specialised practitioner. It will be particularly useful to medical students who first embark on a study of this subject, the clinical biochemists at the bench, and students preparing for College examinations such as those for physicians, pathologists and surgeons.

A 77-year-old man phones ‘999’ after experiencing severe backache. The paramedics arrive to find him in severe pain, and cold and clammy. While at his house, they note that he smokes and also elicit a history of hypertension. He is tachycardic and hypotensive en route to hospital, and intravenous fluids are started. You have been assigned his initial assessment ... 100 Cases in Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine presents 100 clinical scenarios commonly seen by medical students and junior doctors in the emergency department, outpatient clinic, operating theatre or in general practice. A succinct summary of the patient's history, examination and initial investigations is followed by questions on each case, with particular emphasis on the interpretation of the results and in which an understanding of the underlying clinical pathology is central to arriving at the correct diagnosis. The answer includes a detailed discussion on each topic, providing an essential revision aid as well as a practical guide for students and junior doctors, especially those preparing for undergraduate and postgraduate examinations. Making speedy and appropriate clinical decisions, and choosing the best course of action to take as a result, is one of the most important and challenging parts of training to become a doctor. Fully revised and updated for this second edition, these true-to-life cases will teach students and junior doctors to recognize important clinical conditions, to request the appropriate pathological investigation and correctly interpret those results, and, as a result, to develop their diagnostic and management skills.

Case Presentations in Chemical Pathology is a compilation of medical records with clinical history, diagnosis, and recommended treatment. It discusses the symptoms and causes of the disease being investigated. It provides sample of laboratory results that is correlated to a possible malady. Some of the topics covered in the book are the ethanol-related liver problem; definition of hyperprolactinaemia; explanation of abnormal plasma magnesium presence in the blood; enzyme defect in acute intermittent porphyria; causes of elevated ketones in a patient’s blood and urine; and description of androgen insensitivity syndrome. The classification and clinical diagnoses of hypercalcaemia are fully covered. The definition and symptoms of Conn’s syndrome are discussed in detail. The text describes in depth the causes of euthyroid hyperthyroxinaemia. The causes of hypermagnesaemia are completely presented. A chapter is devoted to the origins of respiratory alkalosis and hyponatraemia. The book can provide useful information to doctors, students, and researchers.